Many classes of antibacterial agents are known, including the penicillins and cephalosporins, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, monobactams, fluoroquinolones and quinolones, aminoglycosides, glycopeptides, macrolides, polymyxins, lincosamides, trimethoprim and chloramphenicol. The fundamental mechanisms of action of these antibacterial classes vary.
Bacterial resistance to many known antibacterials is a growing problem. Accordingly there is a continuing need in the art for alternative antibacterial agents, especially those which have mechanisms of action fundamentally different from the known classes, and/or which are effective against the causative organisms of community acquired respiratory infections, and/or which are selective in their pharmacological activity, thus reducing risk of unwanted side effects.
Amongst the Gram-positive pathogens, such as staphylococci, streptococci, mycobacteria and enterococci, resistant strains have evolved/arisen which makes them particularly difficult to eradicate. Examples of such strains are methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococci (MRCNS), penicillin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and multiply resistant Enterococcus faecium 